The disclosures herein relate generally to mobile electronic commerce, and more particularly to methods and systems for facilitation of wireless e-commerce transactions.
Mobile e-commerce is expected to grow at a tremendous rate. The sheer scale of the opportunity is impressive. The number of Internet-enabled mobile devices is expected to exceed the number of PCs by 2003. It is predicted that by 2004 the majority of e-commerce purchases will be made though wireless communication devices.
With the convergence of location information and wireless access to the Internet, users of wireless communication devices will be able to receive product offerings relevant to their location and interests. This will open up a whole new method for targeting customers with advertising. A key area of interest in wireless e-commerce is the communication of targeted ads to the wireless devices. However, to take full advantage of wireless e-commerce, users will need to be in a position to act on such advertisements in a real time manner. This will require that transactions to be made using a wireless communication device in concert with receiving an advertisement for a product or service.
There are several barriers, however, that must be overcome to make such wireless e-commerce transactions commonplace. One such barrier to wireless transactions being widely accepted is security. For wireless transactions to be embraced, systems must be in place for preventing unauthorized purchases on a user's wireless account. Such security measures are even more important in the case of a wireless communication device, due to situations such as the wireless communication device being lost or stolen. Because wireless communication devices are significantly less secure than non-portable communication devices, steps must be taken to provide an elevated degree of security. However, present e-commerce security solutions are limited in their ability to provide effective and efficient solutions for facilitating secured wireless e-commerce transactions.
Another barrier that must be overcome to make wireless e-commerce transactions commonplace is tying e-commerce transactions to “real world” products and services. For example, if an authorized user of a wireless communication device purchases a movie ticket for a show at a particular theater using her wireless communication device, systems must be in place for notifying the theater that the ticket has been purchased by an authorized user. Furthermore, systems must be in place for permitting the authorized user of the wireless communication device to obtain entry to the theater and the show once at the theater.
Present solutions for tying e-commerce transactions to real world products are inconvenient and time-consuming. As a result, they offset much of the convenience of facilitating a wireless e-commerce transaction. For example, one present solution for tying an e-commerce transaction to a corresponding real word product requires that a printed confirmation, such as a receipt, pass or ticket, be printed out on a printer. Such a solution requires that the printed confirmation be generated at a physical location. The printed confirmations often include non-standardized barcodes that are processed at the merchant's location. Typically, the printed confirmation needs to be generated at a location different than the location where the wireless e-commerce transaction is performed.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method for enabling wireless e-commerce transactions to be facilitated and fulfilled in a secure and convenient manner.